Never Too Far From Home
by Arbirchy - PNS
Summary: As he moves from Johto to Sinnoh, Lucas is surprised as to what's coming ahead. T for cussing, mildly sexual content, and suggestive themes.
1. Ch 1 - Lost In Your Mind

**#1 - Lost In Your Mind**

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 **Please always check the latest chapter's author's notes for updates on writing schedule.**

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Hearing the subtle spool of the engines fade and a chime of the speakers, Lucas cracked his eyes open. The surroundings were still the same as thirteen hours ago. Dirty economy plane seats, a screen with earbuds playing The Greatest Showman, and his parents sleeping on both sides of him. His family was moving to Sinnoh, as per usual with his father's busy schedule. However, his parents would always tell him that he was never too far from home. But, the fact was that he didn't know where home was; life was all too much of a blur for him to pay attention to it. Truth be told, he never even really had a life; lab work took up most of his time. He'd never had the time to explore anything that was out of his parents' curriculum.

As he woke up, the flight attendant came on the speakers and spoke, pausing the best part of the movie he was watching. Right on the bartender scene. He always thought that Zach Saffron was terrible and the bartender should've been hired instead. His dad snorted awake and sat up, listening to the announcement that was being put out.

"Ladies and gentlemen," the flight attendant started, "We are about to land at Jubilife City South International. Please make sure your tray tables and window shades are up, your seats are in the upright position, and your seatbelt is securely fastened. We thank you for flying with Xatu Air flight 203 from Goldenrod to Jubilife, Johto's best airline."

As people clicked their seatbelts on, Lucas pulled out his Pokegear. The display read 12:33, local Johto time. Sinnoh must be at least six hours ahead. He smiled, knowing that when his father got his first Pokegear, it was big and bulky and could barely make calls. While the plane was making a roll left for approach, Lucas looked out the window at the view. Wide, open ocean complimented ships dotting the horizon. He could see a few islands here and there. He had to be optimistic. It could be a great experience if he made it so. He didn't know what would come after the touchdown into Jubilife. He just knew that he would have to deal with it.

After they landed, Lucas got up, ready to get off the plane. His dad, with a dirty lab coat on, started talking to him.

"Lucas, do you have our passports?"

"Yeah, Dad. Right here." He pulled out three passports, all with the Johto name and emblem on it.

His dad turned away as they were exiting the plane. Lucas turned around and looked at the plane behind him. The last remnant of his last home. Not that it was his home anyway. People always used to tell him that he was lost in his mind all the time. Thought was his home, where he got carried away and where he rested. There was nothing he couldn't do with his imagination.

* * *

 **Jubilife Global Terminal, 8:42 PM**

"So Dad," Lucas started, "where are we going after this?"

"Well, we're taking the bus to Twinleaf Town. It's where my lab is. And I have a surprise for you there."

"Oh really," Lucas laughed, "or is it just a new pair of glasses, like last time."

The Professor rolled his eyes. "I promise it's worth something."

At that moment, his mom rushed out of the door of the airport, with a cart with two pieces of luggage on it. "Where are we going?"

"The bus terminal, right there." The professor pointed towards a sign with a bus on it.

"Well then what are we waiting for? I wanna get some good sleep!" Lucas said, jokefully.

They walked to the bus station together. Lucas noted the smell of the saltwater beach right next to the airport, and the scent of the lively city just down the road. The doors opened to the bus terminal, and they got a ticket to Twinleaf.

"You'll be on Bus 81, departing at 10:00 PM. It's just arriving from League Station." the bus lady chimed in.

"Thank you! By chance…" Lucas asked, "do you have any SIM Cards? My friends back in Johto are worried about me…"

"Yeah! We have some plans here to show you!" As the lady droned on to Lucas about cell phone plans, his dad and mom were sitting off near the platform.

"It's nice, huh, babe?" Emma, Lucas' mom, asked.

"Yeah. It's quite nice actually. Better than Johto," he replied.

"So," Emma sat up and looked in her husband's face. "What's that surprise you're giving Luke, huh? I hope it's not _glasses_ like last time," she teased.

"Ha," he chuckled. "I promise I'm not, Ems. I said it was a surprise, right? I have to keep it a secret!"

"Come on, Rowan." She glared at the Professor, smiling at her with his white mustache tilting a little. She lightly punched him in his ribs, causing a glare from her husband too. They broke out in laughter, with Emma eventually resting on Rowan's shoulder.

"Just don't be too… rough with him, okay? He's my baby too." Emma said, sweetly.

"I won't," Rowan reassured.

As Lucas came back from the ticketing desk, phone in hand, he stopped and looked at his parents. "So, the bus is departing at 10:00 on Bus 81. And…" He pulled out three cards with SIM cards, "these go in your phones."

"Thanks, son." Rowan stood up and took the card, punching out the SIM card and putting it in his phone.

Lucas, having already put the card in his phone, plopped his bag down on a table and sat down on the quite comfy station chairs. He pulled out his phone and opened the Messages app. He started to text his best friend back home, Ethan.

 _Lucas: "Hey, I'm in Jubilife now. the bus station" 9:56 PM_

 _Ethan: "Hey, dorkhead. Lyra and Silver have been dead worried about you! How's Sinnoh?" 9:57 PM_

 _Lucas: "It's… decent. Jubilife has crazy skyscrapers. It's right next to the beach. But we're going to this shitty town up north... Twigleaf I think?" 9:57 PM_

 _Ethan: "I'm pretty sure it was Twinleaf, I dunno."_

 _Lucas: "How are y'all doing back home? How's your boyfriend?" 9:57 PM_

He smiled making that last remark.

 _Ethan: "We're actually doing pretty good. Third date near the Goldenrod Lake. Amazing view." 9:58 PM_

 _Lucas: "Ha! I wish y'all the best." 9:58 PM_

Even though Lucas was straight- or at least always _considered himself straight,_ he had to still appreciate that Ethan and Silver were a cute couple. A very cute one.

 _Ethan: "Did you hear about that new trainer? Brendan something? He just beat the Elite 4 in Hoenn!" 9:59 PM_

 _Lucas: "Yeah! Tbh his team looks strong af" 9:59 PM_

At that moment, the chime-bell rang and the loudspeaker announced the arrival of the Twinleaf bus. Lucas yawned, then begrudgingly joined his parents in boarding the bus, carrying a piece of luggage behind him.

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 **A/N: That's a wrap! You may notice (or not) that I haven't been active for a long time. I probably will only have this fic updated, and even this is going to be on an irregular schedule because of SCHOOL and stuff.**

 **This fic was beta'ed by Garioshi! Special thanks to him.**

 **Please like, follow, and share!**

 _-_ _Arbirchy_


	2. Ch 2 - Couldn't Keep Up

**#2 - Couldn't Keep Up**

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 **10:45 PM: Twinleaf Bus Station**

Lucas and his parents were unloading the bags from the bus. Lucas looked around at his surroundings. There was a countryside feel: quaint houses, a paved two-lane road running down the side of the hill, and trees lining the horizon. It seemed like the perfect place to start a journey. Or end it, he supposed. By that time, he was tired to no end and he felt as if his knees would give in. The wheels of the luggage hit the rocky soil on the side of the road, making a crunch as it rolled a little on the ground. He felt a tap on his shoulder and turned around to see his dad.

"It's nice, huh?" Rowan asked.

"Sure is," Lucas noted a breeze coming from his right side, a cool one.

"Come on, our house is this way." Rowan pointed down the road, where a suburb appeared to exist. Lucas was eager to enter the house and start sleeping. He dashed down the side of the road, kicking up dirt and sod as he went. His mom and dad stayed back, chuckling a little before walking on towards their house.

* * *

 **10:55 PM: Twinleaf Suburbs**

Lucas skidded on his feet, stopping right before a sign that read Twinleaf Center Suburbs. He waited, tapping his toe, wondering why his parents were so slow. He pulled out his phone and read the time. 10:56. Tapping his toe, he removed his berét and wiped the sweat from his head with his arm. Breathing heavily, Lucas plopped down on a bench and pulled out his phone. Checking the news, he found that today's news was of a recent drought that devastated a region. Roria? He didn't know.

Lucas looked up at the stars. They were beautiful tonight, shining and sparkling down the dark black sky. He noticed slightly larger clouds dotting the sky like polka-dots with large, sparse areas between them. He looked at the mountain range in front of him, which could be seen reflecting the light that the quaint houses produced. Finally, his parents came walking down the hill. Breaking his trance, a pair of keys were thrown at him, hitting him in the shoulder.

"Ow, Dad." Lucas scorned at his father, who was chuckling a bit, with his white lab coat seeming to float in the wind.

"Come on, Luke. You gotta be a lot stronger." He sighed. "Our house is over there." He pointed towards a house across the street with a notable green roof. "1007 Chambers St. Unlock it for us."

"Gotcha, Dad." He started walking across the street and went up to the door. Opening it, he released the fresh wood-laden smell of a new house. It had looked like someone had lived in this place before: it was furnished, had new granite countertops, and spare boxes stacked up in the corner. Every surface was laden with a thick layer of dust; obviously not having been used in a number of years. He trekked inside, closing the door behind him, steps making creaks in the hardwood floor below him. It seemed that you could hear a pin drop in these conditions.

Suddenly, the doorknob handle turned, distracting Lucas from the serene foyer. Lucas turned back to see his parents standing, and his mom flipping on the light. The chandelier over the dinner table flickered a little before turning on, with a bulb out on one side.

"Wow..." she grumbled. "Dirt... dust... everywhere. It's disgusting, Rowan."

"Don't tell me you're afraid of dust, Ems."

"I'm- I'm not." Emma looked up at Rowan and whimpered. "It's just..." She straightened her poster and tightened her face, as if speaking in a serious tone. "I don't want Luke to get a dust allergy."

"Come on, he won't!" Rowan facepalmed and turned to Lucas. "How do you think it is?"

"Well it's... um..." Lucas paused for a moment, with a look of confusion on his face. "New. That's all."

"Perfect!" Rowan clapped with delight. "Now, who's ready for _bed?_ "

* * *

 **9:51 AM, Lucas' House**

As the rays of light shone through the cracks in the old window blinds, Lucas turned to sleep on his other side, bringing his pillows with him. Grunting, he cracked his eyes open. "No. Too early," he thought to himself, and went back to sleep to catch a few hours- or minutes of sleep. As if it was impatiently waiting, his Pokegear started buzzing and frolicking about, making an angry buzzing noise. Lucas hit the display of his device impatiently, shushing the alarm back to snooze.

Lucas stared at the ceiling feeling defeated by the noise, unable to sleep. He held a pillow close to his chest. Today was the day. The day his dad told him he would get his "surprise." What was it? He had already gotten a Pokemon. A Chikorita, to be exact. She was the _cutest ball of joy_ Lucas could have imagined~

" _Fuck!_ " Lucas jumped out of bed, having forgotten to feed Chikorita. He scrambled to find a shirt to cover his body, and to find her pokeball. _What if I had forgotten her in Johto? Nonsense, Lucas._ He mentally slapped himself, finding the green creature's encapsulator in his luggage. He pressed the button to release her into his room, and surprisingly, she toppled Lucas over in a lick-filled hug. He suddenly realized that Chikorita could _photosynthesize._ _Dumbass. That's why he'd put her in the transparent part of his suitcase._ Nevermind that. Chikorita was glad to be out of its ball, and Lucas was glad to be laughing again.

After chuckling for a good while, Lucas turned on his side on the dusty carpet and put Chikorita beside him. "Now, I'm gonna go get dressed. Dad has a surprise to show us!"

"Chik!" she chirped. She was obviously excited, jumping up and down around her trainer, kicking up dust. The air conditioning system was slowly, but surely filtering out the dust, and Lucas was glad. Last night, he was sneezing like a madman.

After putting his trademarked blue jacket on and his beret, Lucas turned to get his Pokegear. "Come on, Chikorita!"

He came downstairs to find a nice breakfast: oddly, oatmeal was his favorite. Oatmeal with Persim and Oran berries.

"Hey, Mom. This food is delicious, by the way." Lucas was stuffing his face with the oatmeal.

Emma chuckled. "Thanks, Lucas. You know I put special love into it," she teased.

"You'll need that special love after today." The Professor walked in, with a fresh white lab coat on. "I said I had a surprise, didn't I?"

"You sure did! Me and Chikorita are ready for it." Lucas turned to his dad with excited eyes.

"Kor!" Lucas' companion chirped.

"We're done!" Lucas yelled, his stomach happy, and ready to go on an adventure. He threw on his backpack and gestured for his little green monster to come along.

Going outside, he followed his dad down the road to a white-colored building with a smoky chimney strutting out of the top. It was a nice day, with the wind blowing and trees rustling. The sun seemed to creep across the sky, bidding the shadows to a parallel with the road. It was a good day to be outside... for an outside person. Lucas brang his beret below his hairline in an attempt to get rid of the intrusive sun.

Suddenly, his Pokegear started vibrating. He pulled it out, reading the name displayed across the screen. _Lyra._ Reluctantly, he slid the "Answer" slider up and put the device to his ear.

Immediately, he was met with a "Lucas! You bad boy! Goldy's just told me today that you're already in Sinnoh! You should've texted me back!" from an angry Lyra.

"Relax. I sleep a lot. We got home late, so I couldn't text you back, _dumbass,_ " Lucas said the last remark spitefully.

"Hmph. Didn't know Sinnoh could give you so much _disrespect,"_ Lyra obviously said jokefully, as a suppressed laugh came afterward. "Anyways, how _is_ Sinnoh?"

"It's decent. Not anything special."

"I see. Well, make sure you respond when I text you, Lukey."

"Shut up," Lucas laughed. "Bye."

He didn't even notice that they had arrived at the driveway to the building his dad was talking about. The lab. Looking around at the desolate building with one pair of double glass doors in the middle, he didn't expect much from it. It was just like the one in Johto. Regardless, he shrugged and followed his dad inside.

The interior was nothing special; with working scientists and takeout food everywhere. Looking around, he didn't know what surprise his dad was going to give him. Finally, his dad stopped in front of the table and started rummaging for something. Finally, he whipped out something blocky and red.

"It's a Pokedex?"

"Yup. Gifted from the one and only Professor Quincy. He's the one here in Twinleaf."

"I heard my name! Andrew? Is that you?" called a burly voice from an office. A figure walked out from the direction of the sound.

"Hey! I'd like you to meet my son, Lucas!"

A tall and thin figure walked out of his office up to him, shaking his hand. "Hi, I'm Professor Quincy! I've been told all sorts of stories from your father here. Now, if you'll excuse me, I still have a meeting to get to. Nice to meet you!" As fast as he had run up to him, he had disappeared.

Just then, the entire lab heard a painful scream come from just down the route. Lucas' dad began to walk towards the scream, leaving a briefcase behind on the table. Lucas was confused, his head still spinning from Professor Quincy. By the time he had realized that he had left a piece of luggage, his dad had already left the building. "Dad! Dad! You left something!" he screamed after him, and started jogging to the road where he went.

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 **Author's Notes:**

Hi! I'm so sorry I haven't posted in forever. Everything's just been spinning lately with finals, being outed, etc, etc. I hope you like this chapter. I'm going to be updating soon, so stay tuned.

Many thanks to Garioshi, who has been beta'ing this series. Please review if you can, as it's how I improve as a writer.

Arb, signing out.


	3. Ch 3 - careful, creature

**#3 - careful, creature**

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 **Writing Key:**

+1 = a day in advance

Line = scene change

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 **Outside of the Lab: 11:41 AM**

Lucas stepped onto the route, holding his dad's briefcase. He looked around for a short second, trying to figure out where his dad went. Venturing around the corner to look more thoroughly, he saw the direction of the scream. His dad was lecturing a group of kids that decided to step in the tall grass. Putting a combined look of scorn and disappointment in his face, he decided to walk up the hill to the group.

"Hey! Dad! You _forgot something!_ Who are these people?" Lucas brought the briefcase to him, holding it out for the Professor to take.

"Ah, yes. You said you bunch were enthusiastic about Pokemon, right?" The professor took the case, taking a nod to Lucas.

"Yea! We are!" the blonde boy stated. He was taller than Lucas, but seemed younger. The blue-haired girl looked upon him with a look of confusion, almost as if she was questioning what the blonde was getting himself into.

"You sure? It seemed _pretty irresponsible_ for you kiddos to step into the tall grass without Pokemon…" the Professor stated. Lucas agreed, showing a look of dismay on his face at the group.

"Yea-" the blonde boy tried to comment, but the blue-haired girl butted in.

"Listen, Professor. I'm sorry that we stepped into the tall grass and got ourselves into trouble. And you're right- that was very irresponsible for us and we could've gotten ourselves hurt or worse! But I can assure you that we are very responsible otherwise, and Pokemon have come to be a very integral part of our lives. To answer your question, yes. We are _very_ enthusiastic about Pokemon." The girl obviously took AP Pokemon Care- and AP Speech.

"Hmm. Well, that was a very brave thing to say, dear. Tell you what," the Professor readied his briefcase, "if you can promise me to not act like that again, I'll give you these Pokemon." He un-clicked the locks and opened the briefcase to reveal 3 encased Pokeballs.

Lucas had been standing there with a look of concern on his face ever since the "Pokemon" comment. "Hold up. You're giving _Pokemon_ to people who don't have experience with the outside world of Pokemon, from what I can see, and also just appeared on the side of the road?"

"I took a Pokemon Care class," the boy interrupted, "and I failed it with a 32." The blue-haired girl elbowed him in the stomach.

"Oh, re _lax._ It's not like a certain _friend_ back in Johto stole from a freaking lab just to prove that he was powerful." The professor coughed a bit and smirked.

Lucas scoffed. "Fine. But I can go out and actually explore something for once."

"You'll see them in Sandgem, where we're going tomorrow. It'll give you enough time to pack for the journey ahead. Now, where was I?" Lucas stood, flabbergasted.

`The professor let the blue-haired girl pick first, since she was so "bold," followed by the boy. He tossed the last Pokeball to Lucas, saying it'd help him in the journey. Lucas was still surprised that his dad would really let him go explore. About time, it seemed to be. After further questioning, he'd found out that his parents had been planning this for months. He was excited to leave and actually enjoy something for once.

* * *

 **Bedroom: 9:59 AM (+1)**

 _Bzzzzzzzzzzt. Bzzzzzzzzzzt. Bzzzzzzzzzzt._

Lucas stirred awake, barely opening his eyelids. He slammed his hand on his Pokegear's screen to make it stop ringing. It was habit at this point. Cozying up to his blanket, he tossed and turned until he eventually ended up on his other side. Opening his eyes slightly, he saw Chikorita and his new acquisition, a Chimchar, sleeping on the floor next to each other. He still marveled at his little green ball of joy, but he also enjoyed the warmth of Chimchar. They were a power duo together.

Struggling, he finally managed to get out of bed. He checked his Pokegear. _10:03 AM._ Shirtless, he emerged from the bed with only a pair of shorts on. His feet were deathly cold- as they always were. He shrugged and threw on a maroon-colored shirt. He picked up his Pokegear to find a notification having come in. A text message from Lyra. " _Great,_ " he thought.

` _Lyra: Morning._ A smirk emoji was added at the end, of which Lucas found amusing.

He replied, _Hey._

 _Lyra: So? Any new developments?_

 _Lucas: not much- other than the fact I get to go on my own adventure._

 _Lyra: i mean it's about time, Lukey._

 _Lucas: Shut up. My parents have reasons…_

Lucas rolled his eyes and laughed a bit, before putting down his Pokegear and heading downstairs to eat breakfast. Chikorita and Chimchar were still sleeping, which was very _uncharacteristic_ of them. Lucas made it downstairs, almost slipping. His mom was standing there, cooking- no, baking something?

"Are you seriously baking me a cake- for breakfast?" Lucas questioned.

"Well yeah. You're going on your own adventure today, so why not celebrate?" his mom replied.

"Wow! Thanks, Mom. I never even knew you could cook something that 'non-nutritional.'" He put those last few words as air-quotes.

Cutting himself a slice of cake, Lucas smiled. Today, he got to be free. Do his own thing. Wow. The feeling seemed foreign, much unlike the dreams Lucas had about the day. But nevermind that. It wasn't to his benefit to think badly about freedom. Hadn't it been what he had longed for his whole life? No, it's probably just fear, he thought. That's normal. Nevertheless, he started the journey when he got in the car on the way to Sandgem Town.

* * *

 **1132 Verity St: 11:23 AM**

Two teens walk in from a room in the house, one blue-haired girl and a blonde-haired guy. They're in an active conversation- er, argument.

"Barry… you didn't tell me you failed Pokemon Care with a freakin' 32!" the girl exclaimed angrily.

"Dawn… you know my brain just spurts out shit when I'm focused on a guy! You've gotta admit, the guy was cute." the boy replied.

Dawn tried to stare at Barry with disappointment, but instead, broke out in laughter. "Bar, you're _so gay._ " Dawn proceeded to walk down the stairs.

Barry yelled, "That's the _point!_ " before following Dawn downstairs for breakfast.

"So?" A figure emerged from the kitchen, holding a Pokegear with the timer app open. "You're going on your Pokemon adventures today. How exciting."

"Yeah, Mom! Ooh, that pot roast looks delicious." Dawn beamed with excitement at the food. She loved food.

"Ooooooohhhhhh…" Barry realized what Dawn's joke was about.

Ignoring Barry, Dawn continued. "We'll make sure to call you whenever we reach the next town!"

"Good. I mean, I hope you call me…" Dawn's mom chuckled. As the timer rang, she rushed to the stove to take the pot roast off the heat. "And here you go!" She plated the pot roast and gave the plates to Barry and Dawn.

Barry immediately took a bite and beamed. "Wow! This is delicious. Thanks!"

Dawn's mom smiled. "My pleasure."

"I must admit, it's very good. I would say it's better than all the other times you've cooked pot roast!" Dawn beamed.

"I cooked it with extra love. You're going to need it." Dawn's mom replied.

* * *

 **Sandgem Town Lab: 12:11 PM**

Lucas was helping his dad unload some boxes from the family's SUV. "Dad, where do you want me to put these?"

"Over there." The Professor pointed without even taking a glance at Lucas. He was still marveling at how _clean_ and _gleaming_ the lab was. Lucas wasn't very into it.

After he got the boxes into the lab, he sat in one of the chairs. He pulled out his Pokegear and checked his notifications. "Let's see… One from Ethan, huh?" he murmured.

 _Ethan (12:13 AM): Hey! Lyra just texted me. You can finally go on a Pokemon adventure? Congrats!_

Lucas swiped on the message, taking him to a "Reply…" box.

 _Lucas (12:13 AM): Yeah! Super excited. How's Johto been going?_

 _Ethan (12:14 AM): Oh, perfect. Me and Silver beat Morty together. Great bonding moment, y'know?_

 _Lucas (12:14 AM): Cool! Fifth gym already, huh?_

 _Ethan (12:14 AM): Mhm._

Just then, Lucas heard the sound of a car pulling up and people getting out, which was unusual for a quiet town like Sandgem. He pocketed his Pokegear and exited the lab, looking for the source of the town. Peeking out the door, he saw the blonde boy and navy-haired girl, or rather, Barry and Dawn, that he saw a day prior.

"Hey! We knew we'd be seeing you here. Have we introduced ourselves yet?" Barry yelled.

"Yeah… I'm Lucas." He wasn't excited. The blonde boy didn't exactly seem too _bright._

"I'm Dawn." Dawn held her hand out first. "I'm sorry for my friend here. He's not… the smartest."

Lucas shook her hand. "Hey, Dawn. You?" He gestured to Barry.

"Oh, yes." Barry exclaimed. "I'm- I'm Barry." His embarrassment was evident- after all, he was _meeting_ his crush. From a day ago, sure, but still.

Dawn wasn't amused, elbowing Barry in the stomach (resulting in a grunt of pain from him), and proceeded past Lucas to the lab. Lucas followed them back inside, seeing that the professor had already set his desk up.

The professor seemed overjoyed. "Hey! You're the two trainers from yesterday? Barry and Dawn, I believe?"

Dawn looked worried. "How… did you know our names?"

"Oh, I met your mom yesterday. She seemed pretty cool." Lucas facepalmed at his dad trying to use _"cool"_ language. "And," Professor Rowan continued, "I looked into your files at your former High School- Dawn, you've excelled in AP Pokemon Care with a 121? Wow."

"Yeah! All that extra credit I did really paid off." Dawn blushed at the comment.

"And you took the PRT two times- a 1550 being your high?"

"Ee-yup!"

"Well, Dawn, that's some impressive technical knowledge you've got there, but have you got much in the realm of practical knowledge is the question… which leads me to Barry." The professor turned to the blonde-haired boy, surprised that he would be mentioned.

"You did fail Pokemon Care with a 32, _as well as all your other classes,_ " the Professor coughed a bit. "But, you did excel in Reading- you actually made a higher score on the reading portion of the PRT than Dawn here. And-"

Barry turned to face Dawn with a "I gotcha there" smirk.

"-you did get into a fight in 7th Grade where you stole a boy's Pokemon, and you showed some excellent battling skills. You _did get suspended for two months,_ but I'm not in a place to judge that. To summarize, I predict both of you will be extremely competent trainers. Which is why…" The Professor rolled in his chair to an opened box besides his desk. "...I'm giving you brand new UI-lluminate CX-P Pokedexes. I bought them for my research, but I figured you could use them. They cost 16000 Pokedollars apiece, you know."

" _Questionable choice, but alright,"_ Lucas thought.

"My mom bought an Unova Instruments calculator back in the day to use on the PRT. The UI-84 Plus I think? It cost 12000 Pokedollars. They're not cheap," Dawn remarked.

"This has COLOR? When Dad got a Pokedex, it was grainy and black-and-white. Wow!" Barry was obviously astonished by the gift. "Thanks, mister!"

"No problem! After all, you'll need it for the road ahead." The Professor chuckled before continuing. "I'm also letting Lucas go with you. He knows all the inner workings from his time in Johto. Right?"

Lucas silently nodded, sarcastically. _Boy, Barry needs a lot of work._

"Alright then. Lucas, dear, you know I'll miss you." The father and son stood in silence for a minute. Then, the Professor smiled. "Make sure to call us at every Pokemon Center you get to. Bye!" Lucas could see the tears in his eyes forming, and he felt the same feeling that his father did.

He broke away from the moment, and waved. "Well, I'll see you soon then." Lucas smiled.

The threesome exited together into the sidewalk next to Route 219. They walked to the bus stop, waiting for the bus. Suddenly, Barry breathed in with a bit of sharpness. "I… don't know how to catch a Pokemon.

Lucas and Dawn stared disappointedly at Barry for a long, hot second.

* * *

 **Author's Credits**

 **Title: Song Credit to Billie Eilish, Ocean Eyes.**

 **Betas: Hogwarts Server, Garioshi**

 **Fandom: Copyright Nintendo.**

* * *

 **Author's Notes**

Heya! I must say, this is the longest chapter I've written and the fastest I've ever actually written a chapter. Honestly, I'm proud of myself. This chapter introduces Barry, Lucas, and Dawn together. In a way, they're components of my brain. Barry is the "all the gay" and humorous producer. Dawn is the AP kid in me that's a "know-it-all." Lucas is the common-sense, sassy person inside me.

This chapter was a blast to write, and I thank you for reading it. Please like/kudos, follow me for updates, and most importantly to review! Reviews are how I improve as a writer, and I, honestly, couldn't improve without them.

Signing out, Arb. :)


	4. Ch 4 - spill the tea, sis

**A/N 1-4-19: Before starting, I just want to mention that NTFFH is now on Ao3! If you prefer reading there, it's under the same title and under the "Arbirchy" pseud. Thanks! And now, back to your regularly scheduled fic.**

 **A/N 5-30-19: Also! I'm back from a long ass hiatus, so I can hopefully post chapters regularly now!**

* * *

 **#4 - spill the tea, sis**

* * *

 **Writing Key -  
+1 = a day in advance**

 **Horizontal Line = scene change**

* * *

Lucas tried to sputter out a reaction to Barry's ignorance, but instead, a series of "uh"'s and "I-"'s came out. He sighed. "I mean, I'll teach you if you want."

Barry looked at Lucas. "I mean, uh, sure. That'd be great, actually." He was still shocked, almost paralyzed even, from Dawn and Lucas' apprehensiveness.

Lucas laughed. "I mean, it's normal for beginner trainers to not know how to catch a Pokemon. Come on!" Lucas lifted Barry by his hand, pausing to talk to Dawn. "You don't mind if-"

Dawn nodded with a yes and gave Barry a threatening look. Barry sighed, and turned back to cross the road to the open grass.

"So first we need to find a Pokemon. Let's see…" Lucas was already hard at work scouting out a Pokemon, when a Starly flew by and landed in the tall grass next to Barry.

Barry crouched over, looking at the brown bird-like Pokemon and smiled. "Aww, you're cute. Can we keep it?"

"Well, yeah… but you have to catch it. With one of these." Lucas handed over a glossy red-white ball over to the boy. "It's a Pokeball. You just tap it here, and hopefully it will stay in. Otherwise…"

Barry touched the ball's protruding element onto the bird, and it clicked. "It clicked?" the boy thought. The bird quickly turned into a blue wisp of smoke that vaporized inside the ball. The ball fell to the ground as soon as the exchange was done, wiggling with uncertainty. "1, 2, 3, 4 wiggles so far," Barry muttered. "Come on… Catch it!" The ball glowed after a few seconds. "It stopped. Is that… normal?"

"I…" He blanked out for a few seconds, pondering Barry's accomplishment. "Yes! That is normal- you learn really fast, Barry!" he laughed. "I remember I took the longest to catch a Pokemon out of my group, that my dad just felt sorry for me and gave me my Chikorita." He instinctively took it out from his Pokeball and the green Pokemon immediately nuzzled in between his forearm and armpit. "Today I can catch Pokemon with ease, but… I feel like me and Chikorita have a bond like no other. You and that Starly can do great things- it's no wonder my dad said you were an excellent practical achiever."

Lucas smiled at Barry, which made him feel like a warm, cozy fire inside. However, he managed to compose himself in front of his crush and said a simple "Thank you, Lucas!"

All of a sudden, the boys turned to a car and Dawn's face. "Hey, guys! Our taxi is here to take us to Canalave! Hurry up!" They walked over to the black car, Lucas getting in the front seat and the two teenagers in the backseat. Free candy for this trip too? Lucas couldn't believe his eyes. Ride sharing services were mediocre in Johto.

"Thanks, Dawn," Lucas said, happy for the free ride. "Is this quality ride sharing service normal?"

"It is, Lucas. Me and Bar over here used to ride to school everyday in one of these. This is normal quality over here."

"Normal quality?!" Lucas looked surprisedly at the girl behind him. "Back in Johto, the cars we would use were some old 1980's style cars just to hitch a ride to the mall. This is fancy."

Barry, on the other hand, was stuffing his face with candy, despite the "Only one candy per passenger" sign on the bowl. "This is fancy, Dawn. Do you know how many car rides we've taken that have Happy Farmers? Zero. Absolutely zero."

"Barry. Is that- _one, two, three,_ FOUR pieces of candy on you?"

"N-no?" Barry laughed.

"Put it back, Barry."

"Alright, _fine_ , Dawn."

"So I see that you all don't have the best relationship." Lucas laughed.

"No, we're the best family around," Dawn grunted as she was struggling to keep Barry's arm in check. "Right, Barry?"

The boy could only nod as the girl had him in a deadlock in the back of a car. However, the duo tumbled out of their seats (resulting in some laughter from the driver and Lucas) due to a stop sign.

"Shit. Sorry guys, but I'm gonna have to reroute you around to SN 202. The Lake Acuity bridge is closed for flooding, I guess. It's been raining a lot here recently. I won't charge you any extra."

"No, it's okay, mister! Just get us to Canalave any way you can."

"Alright, but make sure you all have got your seatbelts on. You don't wanna know what happens when people don't have their seat belts buckled and we suddenly stop on Interregional Highway 2."

The duo promptly followed the driver's direction, putting on their seatbelts tight. Just then, a call popped up on his Pokegear with a loud ring. _Ethan._

"Hello?" Lucas said, answering the call.

"Hey, Lucas! I heard that you were starting your adventure today. How's Sinnoh so far?"

"Actually, it's not as bad as expected. Mountains and rain are prevalent, though, and lots of it. How's Johto?"

"Well, it's okay! We just moved on to the next town. Where are you going?"

"I'm going to Canalave City with some friends- no, acquaintances I've met here. They're pretty cool, for the most part. I taught one to catch a Pokemon earlier."

"Wow! Well, I have to get going now. Me, Silver, and Lyra are eating out tonight. Good luck, _Lukey!_ "

"I already told you don't call me that, Ethan." Lucas snapped. "But I miss you and the bunch too. Bye! I hope I see you around sometime."

"Bye!" Ethan replied, before promptly ending the call.

Lucas put down his trusted piece of equipment for a second, looking back at Barry and Dawn to make sure they weren't setting the car on fire. They weren't, thankfully, so Lucas pulled out his device once again and pulled up an online map. He like knowing when long car trips would end. It was, perhaps, how he entertained himself on these trips in addition to letting himself fall asleep.

"One hour?" Lucas said to himself, really confused at the time it took just to get to their destination. "Oh." He noticed the mounds of traffic in dark red lining the interregional highway connecting the two cities. "It must be rush hour." Sighing, he decided to put in his FlyingHusks and listen to some seductive music as he dozed off.

* * *

 **1:23 PM, Barry and Dawn**

* * *

Dawn was playing a simple mobile game on her phone, oblivious to the fact that Lucas was sleeping. Meanwhile, Barry was intently fixated on Lucas. "He is so cute when he's sleeping. Isn't he, Dawn?" he asked, turning back to the girl.

"Barry, that's weird. Don't do that. It's…" Dawn was still fixated on her game rather than on the boy in front of her. "...very weird and stalkerish."

"Fine. But you've gotta admit, he _is_ cute."

Finishing a round of her game, Dawn turns to look at the blonde haired boy and smiles. "Okay, fine, you caught me. He is kinda cute, but I'm not the type to marvel at a guy- or a girl, unlike…" She circles her finger towards Barry.

"Don't call me out like that!" Barry whines.

"You deserve it." Dawn smiles a bit before returning to her phone.

"And you're a meanie." Barry _hmphs_ back on his seat and looks out the window. The rolling fields and occasional tractor out in the open were being slowly replaced by suburbs much like the ones in Twinleaf. They came to a stop at an intersection- a busy one at this time of day. They stopped there for what seemed like an hour before they were finally allowed to pass, and from that point, the tall roofs of the houses became skyscrapers and hotels so big Barry thought they were exclusively for rich people. Within minutes, they were on the highway, travelling at speeds faster than what Barry had experienced before. His parents always took the back roads, which were much slower. Watching the bland landscape, Barry's eyes began to droop, eventually giving in to the soft vibrations of the car riding effortlessly on the asphalt.

* * *

 **2:01 PM, SN 219 Canalave Canal, Lucas, Barry, Dawn**

* * *

The car came to a hard stop at the canal, making both of the boys that were asleep grumble awake.

"Are we finally here yet?" Barry asked, frustratedly.

"Almost. Just have to cross this canal. But there's a ship crossing right now, so that's gonna take a while," Dawn responded.

"Ughhh," Barry obviously was very grumpy, being awaken with only 15 minutes' worth of sleep. Lucas, however, was still very calm and composed, immersed in the music. Suddenly, a loud _HONK!_ startled the bunch, even through Lucas' noise-cancelling headphones.

"What in Arceus' name is that?" Lucas snapped.

"That's just Canalave City. It's way worse in Sunyshore. Trust me." Dawn replied.

"Oh. Cool, I guess. Is this where you two went to school?"

"Yes, actually. We went to the Pokèmon Future Trainers School on 7th Street! That's actually close to where the gym is."

"Oh, that's great! Are you two going to face the gyms? It was always a dream of mine when I was a little kid in Johto!" Lucas rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.

"I definitely am," Barry cut in. "I wanna become the next Sinnoh Champion!"

"I'm- not so sure," Dawn sighed. "Sounds like a lot of pointless effort, but I'm willing to try new things."

"Speaking of new things…" The driver's gruff voice cut into the teenagers' conversation. "I'm going to be collecting some fancy new luggage, Pokègears, and whatever miscellaneous items you may have with you if you don't pick them up before you leave!"

"That was rude. Don't steal our stuff." Barry said, protective of his new Pokèmon.

"If it gets you to listen, it works for me." The driver winked before crossing the bridge following the green light.

"Hey, Dawn?" Lucas asked, trying to create some small talk. "Is the traffic always like this?"

"Unfortunately, yes it is. The Sinnohan government is too focused on preventing gay marriage than taking care of its education systems or their roads' deteriorating conditions. In fact, Barry here is-"

"STRAIGHT!" Barry yelped, pausing for a second. "Totally straight. Girls, yes. Guys, no."

Dawn looked at Barry suspiciously, before returning to the conversation. "Yes, I guess. But we're allies."

Fortunately for them, Lucas didn't notice anything. "I actually have two gay friends at home. Ethan and Silver. They've already made it to sixth gym back in Johto."

"You're from Johto? Wow! I've always wanted to go there," Barry marveled. "How's it like?"

"It's actually pretty good. I lived in New Bark Town with my friends. We always went to Goldenrod on the weekends- the bakery there has the absolute best baguettes! I've got to take you sometime."

"That's pretty cool. However, I would argue that the bakery in Solaceon makes the best baguettes. « _Cette est le meilleure de la meilleure !_ » , as they say in Kalosian.

Soon, the sky became almost constrained in the heights of mid-height city buildings, with people buzzing all over. This really was a port city, Lucas thought. The Pokèmon Center was on the corner of a busy intersection, where they were dropped off. They got out of the car, waved to the driver, and proceeded to head inside to the Center.

* * *

 **(A/N) Credits:**

 **Ao3: Arbirchy**

 **FFN: Arbirchy - PNS**

 **Wattpad: Arbirchy**

 **Discord: / Arbirchy /#4336**

 **If you see this being reposted anywhere, report it via DM to these accounts. Any criticism that you have can be dropped via DM too (as well as down below)! Please like/kudos and comment if you liked the story, and if you didn't, put it in concrit form. Thank you,**

 **Arb**


	5. Ch 5 - let's get down to buisness

**A/N (8-8-19): Hey guys! I'm back with another update! This chapter is relatively fluffy, just a bridge chapter per-se. I don't feel in the mood to ramble today, so here you go, I guess! :)**

* * *

 **#5 - let's get down to business**

* * *

 **Writing Key -  
+1 = a day in advance**

 **Horizontal Line = scene change**

* * *

The trio entered the Pokèmon Center only to be met by a rush of cold air and nearby chatter. Barry was the first to speak, stating,"It's cold in here."

"Well of _course_ it's cold in here, Barry, they have to keep it cold because it's 35 degrees outside!" Dawn snapped.

"Wow, rude," the blonde boy muttered under his breath.

Dawn turned the other way to Lucas as he asked, "So where are the phone thingys?"

" _Videophones._ " Dawn corrected. "And they're over here on the second floor." She pointed up an escalator with several people on it.

"Oh, cool," he remarked, looking around the Pokémon Center. It was seemingly buzzing about, with conversations from every corner of the building. "Is it always so loud here? It's almost unbearable."

"No, not really, but it's rush hour at the moment, so a lot of people are buying stuff here, using the facilities, and healing their Pokèmon, you know. A ton of people have stuff they need to do here." she replied.

"Gotcha…" the boy replied as they entered the threshold of the escalator.

Adjusting his scarf, Barry asked, "So where are we gonna go after this?"

"I dunno," Dawn replied. "Maybe we could go try out our new Pokémon at the public battlefields.

"Sounds like a great idea," Lucas chimed in. "Y'know, Barry, I'd actually like to see more of your raw talent. You seem like a really great battler!" he said, as they got off the escalator and walked towards the videophones.

"Re- really?" Barry stuttered. "I mean, um," The boy paused for a minute. Out of all the people, Lucas wanted to battle him? "I, uh, would love to battle after this."

"That's great!" He smiled at Barry, before promptly bumping into a videophone. "Wha- I could've sworn that wasn't there before."

Barry laughed at him- his crush wasn't so smart after all. "That's- _pfft_ … funny!"

"Shut up…" Lucas playfully pushed Barry a step or two.

"That wasn't nice! I'm going to have to fine you a million pokedollars." the blonde boy retorted.

Still chuckling, Dawn commented, "I thought you'd let go of that by now!"

"But he pushed me…" Barry pouted jokingly.

"Let go of what?" Lucas chuckled.

"Oh, don't even get me started." Dawn explained. "When he was still around 13 or 14, he always used to fine people, even for minor inconveniences! And half of the time, it was his fault."

"It was NOT!" Barry countered. "Those people bumped into ME!"

"Whatever you say, Barry…" Dawn sighed, with the trio now facing a videophone. "What's your dad's number?" She asked Lucas.

"Uh… lemme see." He opened the Contacts app on his Pokègear. Showing it to Dawn, his Pokègear read (0142) 34-4923.

Dawn finished typing the number in no time. "There! Now we just have to wait for it to dial, which shouldn't be long." The blue-haired girl pressed the _Enter_ button, leading to a screen with a spinning Pokèball on it.

"If your dad doesn't pick up, I'm going to have to fine him," Barry remarked, earning a side-glare from Lucas and Dawn.

After three rings, Lucas' dad appeared on screen. "Hello? Oh, yes! You three! I was expecting your call earlier..." His dad bit into a sandwich. "So you all caught me off guard." The old man on the other side of the screen laughed.

"Hi, Professor Rowan! Our driver had to re-route since a route was closed on our way here," Dawn chimed in.

"You would _not_ believe the amount of traffic on Sinnohan highways! I fell asleep! Which is very unusual of me," Barry remarked.

"Hmm. Well, what're you gonna do after this?" Lucas' dad inquired.

"We're going to get our gym licenses and practice battling at the public battlefields, then I guess we're gonna get some rest here at the Pokèmon Center," the blue-haired boy replied.

The professor nodded, then smiled. "Well, go get some well-deserved rest, and call me tomorrow in the morning, ok, Lucas?" he asked.

"Will do. Bye, Dad," Lucas smiled as well, gesturing a salute with his right hand. The call ended, and Lucas pulled out his Pokègear again. _3:13 PM._ "We have about 4 hours to get our licenses, eat lunch, and practice with our Pokèmon."

"I don't know about you, but I'm really excited! I'm going to be a true Pokèmon Master!" Barry proclaimed to the group.

"Yeah, yeah, of course you are," Dawn retorted sarcastically. "You've been saying that ever since you were, like, 7."

"I know that, but this is like, that day when I finally get to have a chance at my dream. It's so _surreal_ ," Barry sighed.

"Speaking of- do any of you know where exactly the desk to sign up is? Oh, there it is," Dawn sighed, looking over at the desk clearly labeled with " _Pokèmon League Sign-Ups"_.

Lucas chuckled. "Hey, we all have our moments!"

"Yeah, sure." Dawn approached the desk, grabbing the attention of the clerk. "Hi! I'd like to register me and my two friends for the Pokèmon League?"

"Pokèmon League, huh? I haven't had any applicants today! Well, how old are you bunch?" the clerk asked, scratching his nose.

Dawn pointed to each of them, saying their age starting with Lucas and ending with herself. "18, 17, and 17."

"Cool! Names?"

"Lucas Rowan, Barry Palmer, and Dawn Hikari."

"All right… and you're sure the stress of competing won't get to you? Sorry, it's a required question since they signed the Trainer Mental Health Act into law."

"Of _course_ we'll be fine," Barry laughed. "What kind of trainer goes into this knowing it's going to degrade their mental health?"

"I think they did a survey of all the competitors at the Oreburgh City gym back a year ago," the clerk replied. "I think it was… 15%? Or 10%. I forget sometimes. Yeah, 15% of trainers showed signs of depression, anxiety, or bipolar disorder. Since then, trainer sign-ups have gone down. All people want to do is Contests now." He sighs, finishing his statement. "And they cut my pay in half…"

"Contests? What are contests?" Lucas inquired. He was turned off completely from doing gyms just by that data alone.

"Oh, I was never really into them as a kid, so I can't say for sure, but you and your Pokèmon perform in front of a judge, and whichever looks the prettiest or shows off the most wins."

"Sounds nice. Actually, I'll meet you guys outside." Lucas turned to Barry and Dawn. "I'll think about it, because I'm not really sure whether I should do Contests or Gyms." He entered the escalator and disappeared into the distance.

"I guess they're going to cut my pay again if I don't meet my status quota… So, just the two of you, then?"

"Yeah!" Barry was enthusiastic about the gym challenge. "I'm sure me and my Pokèmon would love to battle all the gyms!"

"Alright, then," the store clerk responded. "Now come over here in front of the camera and take your Trainer Card photo. Make sure to make it good- this'll stay with you for the rest of your journey."

Barry posed, making a peace symbol with his hand. Dawn sighed, saying, "Why do even your _poses_ look gay?"

After the photo was taken, Barry retorted, "Because I _am_ gay, Dawn."

Dawn walked in front of the camera and struck a simple pose. "So, what happened back there in the car with you and Lucas? Why'd you say you were straight?"

Barry blushed. "Because… what if he says he's straight? I don't want to advance too quickly on him. You know how my last two attempts to court a guy went."

"I get that… but you can't just avoid talking about it with him, y'know."

"I know, and I'll open up to him one day. Just… stop pestering me about it. It's my relationship, not yours."

"Fine…" Dawn finished taking the photo, facing Barry as the clerk went to get their printed IDs and badge cases. "But… actually, never mind." Dawn waved Barry off.

"Alright!" The clerk approached the two of them, holding out credit-card sized IDs and cases with space for 8 badges. "Here you go! Well, thanks for coming! It was nice talking to y'all!"

"It was nice talking to you as well!" Dawn said, before walking off with Barry. "So, Bar, where do you wanna eat? I heard there was this new Galaran " _Chips n' Wishiwashi"_ shop on Rockville St."

"Sounds good! Race ya there!" Without giving Dawn a chance to react, Barry sped off down the stairs conveniently placed in between the escalators.

Dawn sighed, saying to herself, "He really never changes, does he?"

* * *

 **3:57 PM; Barry and Lucas, sidewalk on Main St**

* * *

"WATCH OUT!" People moved out of the way, giving the blonde-haired boy weird looks as he plowed through their crowds. Unfortunately for Lucas, who was a few meters ahead, he had his noise-cancelling earbuds in, and was unable to hear the shouts of the boy behind him. Holding an iced coffee he'd bought on the lower level of the Pokèmon Center, he couldn't have prepared for the...

 _ **THUD!**_ Plowed over and iced coffee spilled on the ground, Lucas groaned out, "Who- Barry?" As bystanders looked on at the scene in front of them, Lucas rolled the other trainer off of himself and got up. With a grimace, he snapped, "You're _very_ lucky that I didn't order a hot coffee. You're also very lucky that I'm not extremely hurt. What were you DOING running in that crowd?" Lucas crossed his arms, tapping his foot. "At this point, it's you who owes me a fine."

"Geez…" Barry sighed. The crowd around them dissipated. "I'm sorry about that… I wasn't watching, I-"

Sighing, Lucas shushed Barry. "I don't want to argue anymore. It's okay. Where's Dawn?"

"She said she was going to meet us at the new Galaran food shop on Rockville."

"Come on, then." Lucas smiled. "I've always wanted to try fish and chips, honestly. I never went out to eat as a kid- partly because there weren't any restaurants in New Bark."

"That's good… You know, as a favor, I don't mind paying for your meal," Barry admitted. "It's only fair since I spilled your coffee and embarrassed you on a busy sidewalk."

"No, no, it's fine! I have tons of money to pay for it myself."

"I insist."

"Fine, then." Lucas chuckled.

"Great! I have to ask, why'd you opt out of doing gyms earlier?"

"After hearing all that about mental health and depression, I just- I don't want it, y'know? And besides, contests sound really fun! You get to express yourself on a stage with your Pokèmon. With battles, I feel like you don't get to do that."

"I understand." Barry nodded, adding, "We're adventure partners! I'm sure you can still train with us! You still have to train your Pokèmon, after all!" he laughed.

"Yeah, I guess. Rockville Street, right?" he said, holding his hand out to prevent Barry from crossing into oncoming traffic.

"Shit." Barry felt relieved that he wasn't ran over by a car. "Well, yeah, it's just down the road." The boy pointed to an overarching sign that read " _Rocky Parlour Pub"_.

"Alright! I'm hungry already…" Lucas looked down at his stomach, which had only the day's breakfast and some iced coffee.

The duo entered the restaurant, looking around for a blue-haired girl. "No Dawn here," Barry remarked to the other trainer. "You wanna sit down at a table and wait?"

"Yeah, I guess," Lucas responded, walking to a table with three seats, the fourth presumably gone to fill the needs of another table.

Barry pulled up a chair and plopped himself down, poring at the menu. "So, what are you going to order?"

Lucas deliberated for a while before replying. "Mmm… I guess I'll order the classic fish and chips."

"Me too…" Just as Barry replied, a jingle caught the attention of the two boys. _Dawn._

Walking over, Dawn greeted the two boys, pulling up a chair. "Hey! Barry, why haven't you answered your Pokègear? I called you five times!"

Barry checked his Pokègear, frowning at the missed calls that popped up on the screen. "God damn it, I keep forgetting to turn off silent."

At that moment, the server greeted them with a starter of calamari and assorted dipping sauces. "Welcome to _The Sword_ , my name's Alex and I'll be your server for today. What would you all like to eat?"

Barry ordered first, completely ignoring the traditional " _girls first"_ rule. "Can I have a fish and chips meal with an iced coffee?"

"I'll have that as well," Dawn and Lucas said at exactly the same time. Lucas looked at Dawn, smirking a bit from his surprise.

"Alright… Food's gonna be out in 15 minutes, let me know if you need anything!" The server walked off, presumably to take care of some other business.

As promised, the food was out in 15 minutes- and gone in, seemingly, the exact same timeframe. "I'm stuffed," Barry remarked.

"So, are we all up to train?" Lucas asked the group.

"Hell, yeah! I can't wait to practice with Turtwig! What should I name him?" the blonde answered, thinking of all the names he could devise in his head.

"Uh… What about Shelly? Since, you know, it has a shell?" Dawn shrugged.

"Sounds great." Barry burped, immediately saying, "Excuse me… I really need to burn these calories… Race you all to the battlefields!" Barry ran off in a flash.

"Wait-" Lucas tried to remark, but he was too late. Sighing, he thought, "He didn't even pay for my food like he promised."

* * *

 **(A/N) Credits:**

 **Ao3: Arbirchy**

 **FFN: Arbirchy - PNS**

 **Wattpad: Arbirchy**

 **Discord: / Arbirchy /#4336**

 **If you see this being reposted anywhere, report it via DM to these accounts. Any criticism that you have can be dropped via DM too (as well as down below)! Please like/kudos and comment if you liked the story, and if you didn't, put it in concrit form. Thank you,**

 **Arb**


	6. Ch 6 - you need to calm down

**...you're being too loud!**

 **A/N: Hey guys! It's been forever since I've posted, so I'm really proud to present this winter holiday gift to y'all! As always, thank you for reading!**

 **Sinnoh Map: /X91ORzS**

* * *

 **#6 - you need to calm down**

* * *

 **Writing Key -  
+1 = a day in advance**

 **Horizontal Line = scene change**

* * *

With a _jingle_ of the doorbell, the pair rushed out of the restaurant. Looking frantically around him for signs of the blonde-haired boy, Lucas breathily mentioned to Dawn, "Where- _huff_ ...do you think _huff_ he went?"

The blue-haired girl replied, breathing just as hard "Quite honestly, I don't know where he went!" They were already down the hill and around the corner, heading towards the battlefields.

The steel-haired boy stopped, breathing heavily and bending over in defeat. "I- _huff_ I can't run after him. He's- _huff_ too fast."

"To be completely honest with you…" Dawn's breathing evened out."I can't keep up with him either… and I've been with him for what, since I was born?" she laughs, reminiscing of her times with Barry as a younger kid. "I just walk to wherever he says he's going… Or I call him on his Pokègear if he's not there. Either way, he gets a lecture from me." Dawn explains, helping Lucas recover from running down the section of street.

"That's good to hear!" Lucas laughs. "Does he always run off like this?"

"Yes. Literally all the time."

"Hmm…" Lucas grimaces at the thought of his earlier encounter with Barry.

"So…" In stark contrast to Lucas, who was breathing heavily and quickly, Dawn seemed controlled and normal by now. "...Why are you going on your journey right now? Some people leave at 11, and you're much older than that."

"My parents wanted to keep me as a lab assistant. Trust me when I say I'm very skilled at doing paperwork. People even say I have an exact replica of my dad's handwriting," Lucas shrugged, pacing himself down the hill towards the fenced fields. "But I really always longed to go on an adventure, you know. To see things like they are in real life?"

"I see. That's how I was in Trainer's School. I was great at it; but some part of it really didn't _stick_ with me. You know?"

"Yeah." The steel-haired boy shrugged. Putting his hands in his pockets, he decided to move on to another topic. "So, I'm still getting used to this whole Sinnoh thing…" He scratched his head. "What's it like here? Living here, I mean."

"Well," Dawn sighed. "Despite all the negative things I said, it's a really nice place. There are a lot of really beautiful mountains like Mount Coronet. There's also no evil "Teams" here."

Lucas chuckled a bit. "Ethan- my friend- said one time he encountered Team Rocket in Goldenrod. He said it wasn't fun…"

"I'd bet." the blue-haired girl replied. "Also, Golden- _what_?"

"Goldenrod. You know, with the radio tower and everything?"

"Oh! I'm dumb…" Dawn softly smiled. "I remember World History now."

"You're not dumb…" Lucas remarked. "You're actually pretty smart, y'know." He scratched his head. "At the very least, smarter than I-Run-From-All-My-Problems," he joked.

Dawn chuckled. "Thanks!"

Approaching the crosswalk, the steel-haired boy looked around. He sighed. He couldn't hate Sinnoh forever. Sinnoh was his home now; he had to leave Johto behind. Looking in front of him now, he saw a sign that indicated for the public battlefields. "Must be where Barry is," he muttered to Dawn.

"Yeah…" Dawn replied. She looked up at the fenced gate, opened it, and looked around for the blonde. "Barry?" she called, awaiting a response.

A few seconds passed before she heard a familiar voice reply. "Yes?" Barry walked out from the rest areas, scratching his head in remorse.

"You… um… ready to battle?" Dawn asked, twiddling her thumbs.

"I mean… I guess so. You're not… mad? That I ran away… yet again?" Barry replied, with a mixture of shock and relief on his face.

"Barry…" Dawn paused, before moving towards an open field. Looking back, she continued, "I haven't been really mad since 2007. Sometimes, you just can't change things." The blue-haired girl chuckled a bit before continuing to the battlefield. "Now, hurry, before someone else takes this spot."

"Who wants to go first?" Lucas butted in. "I mean, I can volunteer first. I need more experience than-" he glances quickly at the two of them, each with a confident look. "-you guys."

"I'll go," piped Dawn as stepped forward. "Nothing else to do here anyway, might as well get it over with."

"Alright then…" Lucas walked onto the battlefield, striding over to one side of it. "You ready?" he asked Dawn, who was already at the other side of the field.

"Mmhm." Dawn replied. There were a few seconds of silence, where only the sounds of the soft, slow breeze and the swaying branches reverberating around them, before Dawn finally initiated the battle. "Go, Piplup!"

The blue-haired boy retorted, "Go, Chikorita!"

The pair stood in silence for a couple seconds before Lucas asked, "Am I going to start? Or…?"

"I guess I'll start. Tackle!" Dawn sounded pretty confident; all Pokémon came standard with Tackle, right?

The Piplup chirped, coming at the green Pokèmon with all her weight and force behind her. Unfortunately for her, Chikorita moved out of the way, causing Piplup to smash hard into the barbed-wire fence on the other side. "Piiip-luppp…" it groaned for a while, before fainting on the ground.

Dawn screamed. "AAA!" She ran over to her unconscious Pokèmon. Obviously panicked, she pointed her speech at Lucas like it was a sharp knife: "What have you DONE to my sweet, _precious,_ _ **little BABY!?**_ " She pivoted her attention to the fainted Pokèmon, cooing it with words like "You'll be fine," "It's okay," and "Please wake up," before returning to glare at Lucas.

"It's fine. Your Piplup's going to be okay. You just need to take it to the Pokèmon Center." Lucas crossed his arms and sighed. "It's not like fresh, unused Pokèmon can die anyw-"

Dawn held up a finger, still coddling her Piplup. "Shut up." She looked back at her blue Pokèmon. "Shh, shh, it's okay…"

"I… think you should listen to what Lucas here is saying." Barry interjected. "If you leave your Piplup here, you know, hurt, then there could be some serious internal injuries. Wow. That was a mouthful." Barry looked over to the steel-haired boy, shrugging at his last remark.

"Fine… You're right, Barry. Let's go." The blue-haired girl sighed, getting up. She seemed to have calmed herself down by now, returning to the serious face she sported most of the time.

"Do you want me to hold Piplup?" Lucas asked remorsefully.

"Sure…" Dawn replied, putting the blue-white Pokémon into his arms. "Just be careful with her, okay?"

"Will do." He sighed, casting a soft gaze at the creature in his arms. "She really is cute, isn't he?"

"Yeah… She would be cuter if you _hadn't knocked him unconscious…_ " Dawn jokes, as the group approached the Pokémon Center.

"Well, I'm _truly sorry._ " Lucas retorted sarcastically. "In all seriousness, though, if you're going to get stronger and even _hope_ to win a gym badge, you need to train. And that, oftentimes, requires things like this happening."

"I get you, I mean…" Dawn paused for a moment, "I learned all about it in class. I just never thought, when I saw the real deal, that I would react this badly…"

"Yeah! I under-" Lucas was cut off by a concerned Barry, trailing behind the pair like the third wheel in a tricycle.

"Don't mean to interrupt," Barry started, "but we passed the Centre two blocks ago."

"Oh, boy…" Lucas seemed to sweatdrop, turning back with Dawn's Pokémon in his hands. "I'll catch you bunch later- this Piplup's been long overdue some care." He speedwalked down the downward-sloped street and eventually entered the Center, vanishing out of sight.

"I guess we'll turn back now." Dawn chuckled, slowly u-turning into the other direction, until she received an unfortunate sharp _**jab**_ in her side. "Ow, Barry! My Pokémon's already hurt. You don't need to hurt me either!"

"What was _that?_ " Barry sternly said, which was unusually uncharacteristic of him.

"What was what?"

"That. Flirting? With the guy I'm supposed to flirt with?"

"I am not _flirting_ with him! He knocked my Piplup unconsci- hahaha…" Dawn's grin spread wider on her face as the lie she was trying to keep up fell through like sand between fingers. "Okay, okay. You caught me. I am flirting with him."

"I knew it." Barry smiled a bit, chuckling. "You always were a bad liar. My question is…" His expression returned to the serious look Dawn almost always adorned. "Why are you going after him when you know I'm trying to go after him?"

"I don't know, Barry. It's just, he's smart, he's cute, and all in all, he's a nice guy! I got to know him while you ran to the battlefield, and I figured that we're going to be stuck with him for a long while. Why not make use of it?"

"I mean, I get that… Ughh, nevermind." Barry sighed, before making a last statement. "Catch you later, Dawn, I guess." With an intake of breath, Barry ran towards the Pokèmon Center.

* * *

 **7:00 PM; Barry, Lucas, and Dawn, Canalave Public Battlefields**

* * *

The group walked in, notably, with a fresh-looking Piplup, taking stance at the same battlefield they were at earlier.

"So, I think Dawn's had enough battling for one day. Barry, you want to challenge?"

Barry snapped out of his distracted state, looking around in a state of shock. "Wh- What?"

"Challenge. You know? Like in a battle?" Lucas questioned.

"Oh, right. Yeah. Sure."

"Then let's go." Lucas walked to one side of the battlefield, releasing both his Pokèmon- Chikorita taking the stage. Barry did the same; his Turtwig excitedly bounced out.

"I guess I'll be the ref for this one." Dawn sighed, standing at the midpoint of the two trainers. "Ready, set… go!"

Barry assumed the first turn "Use, _uhhhh…_ Tackle!" The turtle Pokèmon responded accordingly, smashing the grass-type enough for her to slam on the wall.

"Chikkk…" Lucas' Pokèmon grunted, getting back on her feet after a few seconds of struggle. "Don't give up!" her trainer shouted, before turning back to Barry and continuing, "You'll pay for that. Razor Leaf!"

The Pokèmon abruptly stood at attention, fanning her leaf around to generate force. After only a moment, the grass-type jumped forward, releasing a slew of sharp leaves onto Turtwig. A cloud of smoke formed around Barry's Pokèmon, dissipating to reveal a scratched shell and some fresh cuts.

Barry grinned, "I think I've paid too much! I _demand_ a refund! Turtwig! Use…" The blonde-haired trainer flashed-back to his schooling for a second, vividly remembering starter Pokèmon's movesets as the only "interesting" thing he'd learned in Pokèmon Care. "Absorb!"

"Turt-twig." The shelled Pokèmon said confidently, moving one of his back legs in a way that emulated revving up to the start line in a race. The Turtwig closed his eyes and concentrated for some time, before green beams started expanding out of his body. The beams slowly reached Chikorita, who was standing there in pure awe at Turtwig's determination- completely oblivious to the beams coming towards her. A few more seconds passed, the beams inching closer and closer, until Lucas' Pokèmon finally noticed- although it was far too late to react by then. The beams hit her body, sending streams of light back to the Turtwig. This cycle continued for a grueling couple of seconds, before the beams dissipated, revealing a significantly weakened Chikorita and an almost completely healed Turtwig.

Barry was stunned. "Wow." He paused for a second, awestruck. The Pokèmon had just learned a new move; which was especially stunning considering this was the first day he'd had him. "I'm so proud of you! Good job, Turtwig!" The blonde-haired trainer kneeled down to the turtle-like Pokèmon, giving it a hi-five which the Pokèmon happily accepted.

Lucas walked over, carrying a weak Chikorita in his hands. "Good job, Barry! And you too, Turtwig!"

"R-really?" Barry stammered.

"Yeah. A new move? On the day that you got your Pokèmon? That's great!"

"Hey, guys?" Dawn interjected, walking over to the two. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but the battlefields are closing soon. It's almost sunset. We should start heading back to the Centre."

"Great idea. We'll get you fixed up too." Lucas caressed his softly-whining Chikorita, smiling a bit.

* * *

 **7:55 PM; Barry, Lucas, and Dawn, Room 410 - Canalave Cty. PkCtr Hotel**

* * *

The trio finally made it to their room in the hotel after a long, grueling walk up 6 flights of stairs. They entered, took their shoes off, and sat on the couch near the window of the room.

"Finally…" Barry was the first to speak, massaging his sore foot.

"You know, it wouldn't hurt that much if you hadn't ran so much," Dawn winked and rolled her eyes, going into the bathroom to change.

The blonde-haired boy put his foot down on the fuzzy carpet, glancing at Lucas. "So, I guess it's just us."

"Mhm…" the blue-haired boy replied, sighing. "What a long day it has been."

"Really." Barry sighed, looking out at the diminishing traffic on the street below. "Tomorrow is going to be a long, hard day of training," he mumbled, putting his head on his hand.

It seemed like an eternity until Dawn exited the bathroom, gesturing for Lucas to come next. Fifteen minutes later, he came out (notably, not in the way Barry wanted him to), calling for Barry to clean himself up. When he finished, he stepped out, adorned in regular pajamas.

Barry sat himself on Dawn's bed, which turned out to be a major mistake for him. "Boy's bed." Dawn sternly pointed at the bed that Lucas was laying in and stared dead in Barry's eyes.

"But-" Barry tried to counter, but Dawn's stare grew in intensity. Not even the strongest person on Earth could resist backing away from it, he thought. He sighed, reluctantly switching beds and sarcastically "introducing" himself to his new bedmate with a simple "Hi."

Much later, around 9 o'clock in the evening, Lucas yawned, still checking his Pokègear. His eyes were getting heavier and heavier with each swipe, until he finally decided to give in. He put his device down on the bed stand. "Night, guys…" He turned around, forcefully exhaling at the sight of the other two people sleeping. "Good night to myself, then."

He laid down, tucking himself in to the surprisingly white bedsheets, letting sleep blanket and drift him away into a void of dreams.

* * *

 **(A/N) Credits:**

 **Ao3: Arbirchy  
** **FFN: Arbirchy - PNS  
** **Wattpad: Arbirchy  
** **Discord: / Arbirchy /#4336**

 **If you see this being reposted anywhere, report it via DM to these accounts. Any criticism that you have can be dropped via DM too (as well as down below)! Please like/kudos and comment if you liked the story, and if you didn't, put it in concrit form. Thank you,**

 **Arb**


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